Aksyon Demokratiko presidential bet and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso is the best candidate for the presidency because he has a clear vision for the country and the track record to back it up, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said on Wednesday.
“We are offering the people in this election our brand of leadership and what program can he offer to the people,” Recto, a stalwart of the Nacionalista Party, said.
As the country is still dealing with the pandemic, Recto said the top priority of the Moreno administration is health, as clearly shown by his choice of Dr. Willie Ong as his running mate.
The second would be economic recovery, with a mass housing program playing an important role, he stressed.
“We know that by investing in housing, at least, the multiplier effect is 17 times, so your peso will go 17 times much longer in housing. That has never been done in the Philippines in the past,” Recto noted.
“And there is a prototype in Manila to begin with. Aside from that, you may notice that Isko, even today, may bagong ospital na pinagagawa ulit sa Manila. Not to mention a few days ago, school buildings. Huge educational facilities as well, we will prioritize also under an Isko Moreno administration,” he said.
Moreno on Monday led the groundbreaking ceremonies for the three-story, 50-bed President Corazon C. Aquino General Hospital in Baseco compound where the city government’s housing project for indigent families, Basecommunity, is located.
Once finished, it will be the city’s seventh public hospital, the others being Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Tondo, Ospital ng Maynila, Sta. Ana Hospital, Justice Abad Santos Medical Center, and Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center.
Additionally, the 344-bed Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital at the Quirino Grandstand, launched in June, also accepts non-residents with mild to moderate COVID-19 cases.
The city government of Manila is also currently undertaking the construction of several vertical housing projects -Tondominium 1 and 2 in Tondo, and Binondominium 1 and 2 in Binondo.
Recto also lauded Moreno’s vaccination campaign in Manila, where even non-Manila residents, including traveling merchants from Batangas, were inoculated.
“It doesn’t look at whether you are a Manila voter or not. So, we made him an adopted son of Lipa as well, and we want a sister city also with Manila,” he said.
Recto also enumerated some of the other accomplishments of Moreno in Manila, which included cleaning up Divisoria and Quiapo in a matter of days, continuous assistance to residents affected by the pandemic, and the distribution of tablets to public school teachers and students, among others.
“I said, Mayor Isko, let’s continue that, let’s do it all over the Philippines,” Recto said.
While many things can happen between now and the May elections, Recto believes that if ever there will be a “runaway candidate,” it would be Mayor Isko Moreno.
But as things stand now, Recto admitted that the winning candidate may garner only 30 percent of the votes.
There is also the possibility that if Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte stands by her decision not to run, President Rodrigo Duterte might support Ferdinand Marcos Jr., making the latter a more formidable candidate.
The other presidential candidates are Senators Panfilo Lacson, Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa and Manny Pacquiao and Vice President Leni Robredo.
However, for Recto, there would be only three viable candidates, the two extremes on either side, and the moderate in the middle.
He said one of the extremes would be the administration, and the other being the purist opposition, which in this case is the Liberal Party.
“So, Isko is positioning himself as a moderate. And I think many, the great majority of our people are moderate. They are not extreme. I don’t believe that majority of our people are DDS or Dilawan. I think a great majority are moderates,” Recto said Monday during an interview with The Chiefs over TV5.
Moreno’s accomplishments and track record in Manila will again come into play as the campaign progresses and the electorate begin scrutinizing every candidate’s program of governance, he said.
“Now, if there will be a runaway candidate, I think it is our candidate. Why is that? Because Isko is able to communicate. Magaling mag-communicate si Isko. He has a track record, he has a lot of accomplishments in Manila,” Recto said.
Mayor Isko’s track record as a chief local executive has convinced Recto that Moreno would be the unifying leader that he promises to be despite what other people may think after his criticisms of VP Robredo.
“Look at his track record in Manila. ‘Yung mga kalaban niya nakuha niya. ‘Yung magagaling na kalaban niya, are all working for him as well. It’s also no joke to unify the city council in Manila,” said Recto.
“And like I said, he was able to do that, and unifying the leadership in Manila has brought about progress in Manila in the last two years as well. He can assemble a good team,” added the Nacionalista Party stalwart.
